On the grounds of a former New York Central passenger depot, you’ll find a museum that maintains a collection focused on General Electric, Heisler, and Pullman equipment as well as local railroads.
Choices
At the Lake Shore Railway Historical Society and Museum, the restored New York Central passenger station houses numerous artifacts, and 30 pieces of rolling stock are displayed outdoors. A freight station built in 1869 by the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern also sits on the grounds. View fireless 0-6-0 No. 6, one of 29 such Heisler locomotives built between 1934 and 1941. Recent additions to the museum are a 1939 General Electric 23-ton diesel-electric boxcab, a Norfolk Southern GE Dash 8-32B, which is the first Dash-8 to be preserved in a museum; C&O 8272, a GE B30-7 cosmetically restored to the classic Chessie scheme; and GECX No. 6002, an AC6000 locomotive used by GE and Wabtec for testing.
When to go
From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays. It is open on weekends in April, May, September, and October. The museum grounds are open year-round during daylight hours for safe train watching.
Good to know
Enjoy Christmas at the Station on weekends following Thanksgiving with caboose rides and other activities.
Worth doing
Time your visit with the cherry festival in July or the wine festival in September. There are more than a dozen wineries in or near North East. You can also drive along Lake Erie and stop at one of the local beaches. Also, in December, look for the town’s Sugar Plum Weekend.
Don’t miss
CSX’s Chicago-New York main line and Norfolk Southern’s line to Buffalo run beside the museum. You can watch 60–80 trains each day from the platform, including Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited passenger train.
Getting there
The museum is located about 15 miles east of Erie, Pa., near the New York state border. From Erie, take Route 20 to North East, where it becomes Main Street. Turn right on Robinson Street straight to the museum on Wall Street.
Location: 31 Wall Street, North East, PA
Phone: 814-725-1911
Website: lakeshorerailway.com
E-mail: Form on website
